Have You Ever Tried to Go Vegan?

With people giving up all kinds of things for their New Year's resolutions — smoking, sugar, refined carbs, driving — the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, which began on Jan. 1, got me wondering if any of you are giving up all animal products in 2010?

Kickstart has the support of veteran vegan Alicia Silverstone, author of The Kind Diet, and she will be offering tips and advice on eating an entirely plant-based diet. After experimenting with vegetarianism in college, I am a committed omnivore who eats lower on the food chain but occasionally enjoys meat, cheese, and eggs. I have never tried to go vegan, though some days I eat that way by chance. So tell me . . .

I've been vegan for seven years and was a vegetarian long before that. As with any lifestyle, you must be really informed, be willing to make the effort, try new things, and willing to commit to your personal values and morals. Often, I think that veganism/vegetarianism has become a bit of a trend. I know people who have temporarily changed their eating habits only to subsist on processed foods alone or give up after a day or week. For my husband and I, veganism is a lifestyle, not a fleeting trend. It isn't the latest diet or "it" thing. Health, like anything worth having, requires knowledge, work and effort to eat fresh, balanced and nutritious food that really feeds our bodies and minds. Plus, it feels amazing to know that we are leading a life of health, consciousness, and compassion without causing harm to any of our animal friends.

Since August and I don't really miss anything... I was lacto-ovo for 15 years and all that time I thought I loved cheese, but as soon as I started thinking along the lines of "milk is for baby cows," and "there's blood and pus in there," it all grosses me out now :)

5 years

I've been a vegetarian since I was 12. I always dis-liked the taste and texture of meat, even as a baby my mom said I would spit out baby food with meat in it. I'm also a type O blood... so I'm not sure I believe that theory. I just found out I'm lactose intolerant, so I'm pretty much going to go vegan. I may still eat a few things with eggs in them. My husband has now switched to only eating meat from local farmers that was raised humanely in pastures etc. We don't buy meat from the grocery store or restaurants anymore after watching Food Inc. Its also nice to support your local ranchers who are raising good, grass-fed, pasture raised meat.

i was vegan for awhile in college, but then i moved to paris and as my mom says, you cannot live in france and not at least eat the cheese. so my veganism slowly faded away. still am going 18 years strong though as an ovo-lacto sometimes, vegan sometimes. really depends on my mood

Tried. Lasted less than a day. I tried vegetarian, lasted less than a week.I just love meat too much!

5 years

RE: "I tried going vegan for a while, but I found it too difficult to get all the protein I needed."
Do a quick search for 'vegan bodybuilder' and 'vegan athlete'
Professional athletes and bodybuilders can easily get all the protein they need.

I would probably go vegan if I had the $$$! I'm still a poor college student and I just can't afford soy products over all dairy products (although I do definitely prefer soy milk and usually buy that). But giving up cheddar cheese and crackers, one of my favorite snacks?! Yogurt? That would be pretty tough...

I was vegan for most of last year. But I had to go back to eating meat after I fainted a couple of times. I was eating right, by everything that I read, but I often felt weak, and got sick more often.
I'm slowly going back to eating meat, still no dairy for allergy reasons. I feel a million times better and have so much more energy.
I would love to be able to be vegan again, but it's just not for me, my health has to come first.

I was vegan for most of last year. But I had to go back to eating meat after I fainted a couple of times. I was eating right, by everything that I read, but I often felt weak, and got sick more often.I'm slowly going back to eating meat, still no dairy for allergy reasons. I feel a million times better and have so much more energy.I would love to be able to be vegan again, but it's just not for me, my health has to come first.

5 years

I never "tried" to go vegan, I decided to go vegan.
One evening about 6 years ago I saw "meet your meat" tacked on to the end of a morrissey dvd. After it ended I turned to my wife and said "well I guess that's the end of that"
We went to bed, and woke up 100% vegan.
We weren't vegetarians either - we were full-tilt-boogie meat eaters. At first we thought we'd just stop eating meat, but after reading a few articles, we soon realized there was basically no difference between eating dairy products and eating meat.
It took us a few weeks to figure out what the hell we would eat, and a few months to recreate our favorite dishes vegan style, but all-in-all it was a big fat "no biggie".
It helped that we were already excellent cooks. If you depend on restaurant food you'll be pretty much starving to death.

I've been vegan for 4 or 5 years and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. No problems getting protein, iron, or anything else. As an animal-rights activist, it's the only logical choice for me. We don't need animal products, so the only reason to consume them (and mistreat and kill the animals who produce them) is "It tastes good." Pretty selfish reason.

I tried going vegan for a while, but I found it too difficult to get all the protein I needed. I know there are plenty of good vegan protein sources out there, but none of them were as tasty as tuna and eggs and the other stuff I like.

I became a vegetarian when I was 13 (Im 33 now), and after college, I was vegan for about six years. Like kristints, I also felt lousy. So I've added organic eggs and healthy dairy products. I still try to be conscious when it comes to eating as humanely as possibly, but being vegan just didn't work for me.

I became vegan in May 2008 and I've never having any problems eating in social situations nor has it ever felt restrictive. It was definitely the best decision that I've made so far and I don't ever plan on going back to my old eating habits.

I became vegan after thanksgiving. I just feel and look better.I had been a vegetarian in the past and wanted to go back to that way of eating. I picked up Alicia Silverstone book " The Kind Diet" and I have not looked back since.
Another good book to read in Eating animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.